Avengers High School 2
by Rudolphsd
Summary: Sequel to Avengers High School (click on my username to read the it). The group of teens known (to SHIELD) as the Avengers have defeated a major evil, but life is still not normal. Evil lurks everywhere, and it's becoming bolder. Will the children have to blow their school covers to save the world again? Rated T for violence. Spoilers to every Marvel movie.
1. Horses

**Hello my dear followers! The format for this might be a little different because I got a new computer, and instead of Microsoft Word, I have OpenOffice. Everything should be about the same, but if it's not, just a heads up.**

**This is a sequel to my first big Avengers fanfiction "Avengers High School," which you can read at this link:** s/9858522/1/Avengers-High-School** . This story will have spoilers and references from the fist story.**

**My first story was more popular than I could ever hope for, but since this is a sequel, I have lower expectations. This might have a couple more one-shots than I had in the first one, and there will be characters/ plots from the Avengers movies (ie: General Ross, palladium poisoning, etc), and therefore may not be as Loki-centric. I also may never wrap this story up, in order to be able to add content along with the Marvel movies. Hopefully, I will update more often than they do. However, I do doubt my ability to update as often as I did in my first edition.**

**I hope you anxious followers, and you new non-followers, will enjoy this sequel!**

Loki was annoyed at how many people knew about Norse mythology.

Normally, he would be happy that the sheep of Midgard knew something, but his mythological counterpart was often mocked for his sexual exploits, which normally ended with him resisting the urge to punch the human in the face.

One example was when the team went horseback riding.

Natasha was the one who suggested it, even though she had never gone. It was an average high-school day for the Avengers: breaking speed limits on their motorcycles but being late for school anyway (except for Steve and Bruce, who woke up earlier), grinding through the school day, coming home, training (usually on their own, but sometimes with group exercises), doing homework, and playing video games/ reading/ screwing in the lab before sleeping on their respective floors. That day in particular Thor, Loki, Tony, and Natasha were having a Super Smash Bros. tournament. Tony had been rather vicious in his taunts beforehand, causing the rest of the players to focus all of their punches on him. Frustrated, Tony had called on JARVIS for help, which promptly resulted in all of the other players being thrown from the screen. Annoyed, Natasha had punched Tony in the stomach, and soon they were all in a giant mock-fight. No knives were drawn (nor guns), no hammers were summoned, and no repulsers were used, but all four ended up on the ground, most nursing bruises.

"I think we should do something else for a while," Tony panted. "Maybe some Pikmin?"

"Like that would ease our frustrations," Natasha replied. "Why don't we do something besides video games?"

"Like what?" Tony was still panting.

"Horseback riding."

Loki perked up. "Midgardians ride horses?"

"Yeah, but it's mainly a sport for leisure in America. Plenty of other countries still use donkeys and camels for transport, though."  
"It has been a while since I have seen a horse," Thor agreed, "It would be nice to see one again."

…

"Okay, I get why Thor and Loki would be excited about this," Clint started as they loaded into the large self-driving van, "but why are we being dragged to be taught how to sit on a freaking horse?"

Loki raised his eyebrows. "Riding horses is harder than riding a motorcycle. Horses are independent beings who choose to carry you on their back. You must communicate in a very specific way to a sentient creature to do your will. Are you shying away from a challenge?"

Before Clint could retort, Thor added on, "Besides, if you ever go to Asgard, your ignorance would betray you."

That got everyone's attention.

"Go to Asgard?" Bruce repeated slowly.

Loki slapped his hand over Thor's mouth.

"Loki..." Tony gave his biggest puppy-dog eyes, but Loki just made a look of disgust.

"I do not know what you are trying to do, Tony, but it is not working."

Tony pouted. "Fine then. Keep your super-secret Asgardian secrets to yourself."

"I will." Loki emphasized the first word as he glared at Thor, slowly removing his hand.

"So Thor-"

Loki half-heartily kicked the teen genius.

…

"Wow," Steve exclaimed as he looked at the horse, "he's so big."

Their guide, Robert, smiled at the teen's reaction. "That's Astro, our biggest horse, around 17 hands tall. You," he pointed at Thor, "what's your name again?"

"I am Thor, this is my brother Loki, and my friends Steve, Tony, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce."

Robert grinned. "So Loki's riding a horse today?"

Loki sighed and nodded as his friends giggled, realizing what the stable-hand was referring to.

"I promise I will not have sexual relationships with your horses. Frankly, I find that horrendous."

Robert chuckled softly. "That's good. How many of you guys have ridden horses before?"

"My brother and I have been riding since we were born."

Loki watched Thor carefully, waiting for him to start telling this person that riding horses was all they did back home, which would surely be suspicious, but he said no more.

"I don't think the rest of us have even seen a horse before," Steve explained. "At least in person."

"In that case, Thor," Robert pronounced the name as if he still couldn't believe that was his name, "will ride Astro here. You, Loki, will ride Gabriel over here..."

After he had assigned all the horses and taught the beginners how to lead the horses to the rail, Robert took out a key and unlocked a shed.

"Do you two ride English or Western?"

Thor and Loki exchanged glances.

"What?"

Robert changed tack. "Do you hold your reins with one hand or two hands?"

"Oh." Loki thought for a moment. "Well, it depends-" He shut his mouth before he could finish his sentence. He was about to say 'Well, it depends on whether or not we're carrying a weapon,' but thought better of it.

The stable manager gestured to the boys. "Come and see for yourself."

Loki and Thor stepped in the room, and were fairly surprised.

"Thor, they actually have Asgardian tack," Loki whispered as he removed the saddle. He couldn't help the small smile.

"I know. I wonder how they developed it."

Robert peeked his head inside. "Oh, so you guys chose English. We'll start your friends on bareback for now..." The man started muttering to himself as Thor and Loki walked off.

The two had readied and mounted their horses by the time Robert returned.

"Woah woah woah woah! What are you two doing?" he shouted.

"Riding our horses." Thor sounded as confused as he felt.

"Without a helmet or spurs?"

"Why would we need a helmet? And what are spurs?" Loki lead Gabriel to Robert as we spoke. Thor followed.

"Normally, those two horses won't budge without spurs, but you two seem to do fine without them. But I can't have you guys ride without a helmet."

"We left ours at home." Loki couldn't summon his helmet in front of this guy.

"I'll let you borrow some of ours. We have plenty. Dismount your horses and follow me."

Cautiously, they obeyed, their horses following them without complaint.

The helmets looked like motorcycle helmets, but the two said nothing as Robert fitted and tightened their helmets.

"You look ridiculous, brother," Loki smirked.

"Not as ridiculous as you."

Robert snapped, drawing their attention.

"You can ride in the barrel arena for now. I'll check on you guys in an hour. If you need me, I'll be teaching your friends at the covered arena over there. Have fun!"

Robert walked off, and the brothers rode into the arena.

…

"I missed this," Loki admitted after winning a race.

"As have I." Thor was smiling as well. "But I tire of going in circles on flat ground."

"As do I. However, we cannot leave the arena."

"He never said we cannot. Besides, we have a whole hour before he will check on us."

Loki sighed in defeat. "You want to go into the forest up there?"

Thor smiled and lead the horse away as an answer.

Loki followed, stopping at the edge of the arena before catching up to his brother.

…

Bruce tentatively raised his hand, catching Robert's attention.

"Yes, uh- who are you again?"

"Bruce. Could I get some water? I forgot a water bottle."

"Go ahead. Lead your horse over here. The water fountains are by the arena where your friends are."

Bruce wandered to the arena, legs slightly aching from the unaccustomed pressure. He saw Thor and Loki racing their horses in a circle. He stopped and smiled. They were really good, and focused. They didn't even wave back.

Bruce drank and cleaned his glasses from the accumulated dust before looking at them again. Looking closely, their horses's footsteps were the same every time they went around. Tentatively, Bruce walked over to Loki and Thor and stuck his hand out at the passing racers.

The whole scene melted away in a green flash.

Bruce ran back to the other Avengers. His horse spooked slightly when Bruce approached (all of the horses spooked around him; he figured it was because of the Hulk), but he mounted anyway and drove his horse to Steve.

"Steve," he whispered, too soft for Robert to hear. "Thor and Loki left."

"What?" The blonde slowed his horse to a walk, petting her gently.

"Their footprints lead into the woods up there. Should we go after them?"

"They can take care of themselves. I just hope Robert doesn't find out."

Right after Steve finished his sentence, Robert turned his head towards them and shouted, "Hey! No talking in the arena!"

Sighing, Bruce led his horse in a circle, away from Steve.

…

"Do you remember, brother, when we were younger, and played Frost Giants and Asgardians?" Thor asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

Loki smiled softly. "Yes. You were always the Jotun because you were the giant of us two."

"How ironic."

Loki's smile faded, and his tone became somber. "Mother never liked us playing that, but Odin never let her tell us why. Odin wanted us to fear them, and he succeeded." He looked down, petting Gabriel. "Did he want me to turn against Asgard? To become the villain to your hero?"

Thor's expression darkened, and the wind began to chill, but he said nothing.

Unknown to Thor, Loki made a motion. A snake slithered in front of Thor's horse, who reared. Startled at the spook, Thor barely held on.

"I guess you are not feeling too bad, brother," Thor mock-snarled, "if you are up to your tricks again."

"When am I not? Come on, I'll race you to that clearing."

"But you just spooked my horse," Thor protested.

Loki smiled. "Are you afraid of losing?"

"Not to you."

…

The brothers had just returned to the arena when Robert went to check on them.

"Taking a break, boys?"

They turned their heads to see that the man walking toward them with a cocky grin. "You guys are lazy for expert riders. C'mon, let's see what you two can do."

After climbing a tree-covered hill without any paths, the simple turns Thor and Loki were commanded to do were effortless. However, the patterns made them both look like fools, as they had never done them before.

Loki had volunteered to do the most complicated pattern first, eager to show off in general. He was leading Gabriel backwards when the horse tripped on a piece of wood from an obstacle that Loki nor the horse could notice, and the horse stumbled. The boy was leaning back slightly, adjusting his reins, so he flew off the back of the horse, and barely managed to roll out of the way of any panicking feet.

Robert grabbed Gabriel's reins, and Thor immediately dismounted Astro, running to check on his brother. Aside for some dirt on his face, Loki was fine.

Gabriel had calmed down, and was fit to ride again, as the wood only startled him.

Robert offered Loki a hand. "There's no shame in making mistakes. You're okay, right?"

Loki smiled, face red, as he took his hand.

"_No shame, unless you have been riding horses for over 500 years._"

…

Loki was feeding Gabriel carrots at his stall, when Thor approached him.

"I am having a spot of trouble having Astro lift his back hooves. Could you assist me?"

"No problem."

Thor lead Loki to the cross-ties (the place where riders prepare their horses to ride), where he easily picked Astro's front hooves. The trickster thought nothing of the ease or Thor's absence as his brain automatically went on auto-pilot. He was brushing the gelding's belly when Thor stuck his head around the corner.

"Loki! What are you doing to that horse! That is disgusting!"

Loki looked up as Robert hurried around the corner, a panicked expression on the man's face. Loki bared his teeth in annoyance when he realized the stable-hand's worry.

"You thought I broke my promise about the horses," he hissed.

Thor could not keep the pleasure off of his face, and Loki noticed.

"You!" he barked, turning his head to his brother.

Thor smiled. "There, now we are even for spooking my horse."

"I do not play to get even," Loki snarled, "I play to win. And win I shall. Count your lucky stars that I am warning you, brother."

Robert narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'for spooking my horse'?"

Loki sighed.

**Wow. Don't kill me, guys.**

**I know I promised this sequel 'mid-April,' and I'm only now just delivering, but I have been sort of busy. Sorry it was so late though!**

**I realize now that I cannot handle writing one-shot chapters like these. My mind cannot focus without a storyline to connect to. That means the next chapter (whenever that come out) will be plot. Yay!**

**(Or not yay, considering what the next chapter will entail.)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Shot

**Geez, this is the longest I've gone without an update, ever (unless you count my other fics, but they're either done or on hiatus). I can't promise regular updates, but I will try to work on them more. I recently got hooked on Elder Scrolls Online, and it requires a lot of time to catch up to my friends, who play it a lot more than I do.**

**But enough excuses. The next chapter awaits!**

**Warning: fluff. But I don't really do this often, I promise.**

"You're going on a SHIELD mission?" Clint turned to look at Natasha as he released the arrow, but it hit the bulls-eye anyway.

"Nothing really exciting has been going on here lately," Natasha shrugged. "I need to do something."

Clint looked around, checking for other teammates in the training room. There were none.

"Am I classified to know what that 'something' is?"

A small smile grew on the red-head's face. "No, Clint."

Clint didn't really mind; he understood classification. The archer put down his bow and ran his fingers through Natasha's hair. "I hope you're not embarking on something too dangerous without me," he murmured.

A flash of light drew his eyes to Natasha's collarbone, where a necklace with an arrow lay.

Clint picked it up with his pointer finger and his thumb. "You got personal jewelry for me," he whispered. Moved beyond belief.

The gesture would not make sense for most of the others on the team. Spies and agents who go undercover usually don't wear personal jewelry; it was the height of sentimentality. It gave a clue for enemies to discover those close to them.

Natasha lifted her hand to cup Clint's cheek, before taking off the necklace and taking Clint's hand. She put the necklace in and closed it.

"I'm not wearing it on the mission, but I will be back for it. I promise."

She tilted her chin up slightly and kissed Clint, before walking away.

Clint looked at the necklace.

"Be safe," he whispered.

…

If Natasha had to use one word to describe Dr. Brendan McGee, it would be small. The man was short and thin with a long, sad face. Agent Coulson handed him a censored version of Natasha's file. His hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion as he skimmed it.

"She's my escort? A child is taking me to DC?"

He stopped complaining as Natasha entered the room. With her graceful features, tall stature and professional outfit, she didn't look like a child at all. She looked like a woman.

"For this mission I will be Natalie Roman, your driver to DC. And don't worry Mr. McGee, I'm an excellent driver."

Coulson gave a ghost of a smirk. "Trust Natalie, Dr. McGee. She may be young in age, but very few can conquer her in hand to hand combat. You're in very good hands."

Natasha made a grand gesture. "Your carriage awaits."

…

The second word Natasha would use to describe McGee would be fidgety. He constantly tapped his fingers and shifted in his seat. She figured that it was an engineer thing; Tony did that too.

"Why are you the only one escorting me, Natalie?" he blurted out suddenly.

If Natasha was bothered by the comment, she didn't show it.

"If we needed more people, we'd have them. In this case, the more people in the truck, the more suspicious we will be. A woman driving a man around? Not very suspicious. A woman driving multiple men? You tend to be more noticeable."

McGee didn't ask any more questions..

…

The sun was kissing the horizon on an empty stretch of road when the car was attacked.

The only warning Natasha had was a flicker on the rear view mirror and a skidding sound before an explosion engulfed the car. It sent the little vehicle tumbling over its axis until it skidded to a halt.

Natasha flung off her seat belt without hesitation, using a knife in her sleeve to pop the airbag that trapped her in place. She had a broken nose and a broken finger, but she easily managed to pull herself and her escortee out of the burning wreckage. McGee was fairing much worse, with a broken arm and a nasty bump on the head.

A shot made Natasha snap her head up. There, three meters of where the car was, a masked man held up a gun. His hair was long and unkempt, his mask was bug-like in nature. His left arm shone brightly as if it was made of metal. She didn't bother to study him further, just tackled McGee with all of her strength.

_Crack_

Pain erupted in Natasha's right flank. She flinched, breath getting caught in her lungs. When she turned around to face McGee, she realized that she had just failed her mission.

It didn't matter how many words she could describe McGee with, for the best one was dead.

His hazel eyes were cloudy, his small body being engulfed by the red flowing out to his still heart. By the time Natasha drew her gun to face the engineer's killer, all that remained was a flash of light in the trees.

…

Loki was joking with Clint, Steve, Bruce and Pepper (Thor, Jane, and Darcy were working on a project) at lunch when he heard the news.

Clint's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket.

"One sec guys."

The second Clint stepped away from the table, his eyes widened slightly and his grip on the phone tightened.

"How is she? Did she..."

He trailed off. Everyone else at the table looked at him, anxious on the news about Natasha.

"Thanks Coulson." Clint hung up and walked back to the table, face blank.

Pepper was the first to speak up. "What happened?"

"Natasha's mission went sour. She got hit with a bullet." The archer sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

They were all quiet for a second as they processed the information.

"We need to tell Thor and the rest about this." Bruce pulled out his phone. "What's Thor's number?"

Loki sighed. "The oaf left his phone at the tower. I guess I'll just tell him. He's at Mr. Yinsen's for a project."

He got up before anyone could object, Loki got up and jogged to the classroom.

…

Loki caught Jane, Darcy, and Thor in the hallway outside of Mr. Yinsen's room. Jane was buried in an astronomy book.

"Hello, Loki," Darcy greeted warmly. "What's up?"

Loki ignored her and tugged Thor's long hair, forcing the blonde's ear to yank towards his brother's ear.

"Natasha got shot during a mission," he hissed in it before letting go.

Thor's eyebrows narrowed in concern. Jane, fairly oblivious to what was going in, looked up from her book.

"If you're looking for Tony, he's in Mr. Yinsen's room."

She eagerly dove back into the book.

Loki walked toward the history classroom, but turned his head at Thor.

"Talk with Clint for more information," he called.

The three left the building as Loki looked through the classroom window to see if Tony was indeed in the room. Instead, Loki found a rather disturbing sight: Tony with his shirt off, with Mr. Yinsen peering closely at it. Then he realized Yinsen was looking at the glow in the center of his chest.

"It's poisoning me," Loki heard Tony announce through the crack in the door. "The Arc Reactor, the very thing that is keeping me alive, is killing me."

**I hope that the fluff at the beginning of the chapter wasn't too bad. Don't worry, this isn't a romance story, but there will be mentions of relationships and maybe a little drama. However, it will never be a major force nor a major conflict.**


	3. Poison

Loki froze.

He never really understood what the glowing center in Tony's chest was. The only information he had was that it was his weak point. Considering the teenager's ego, he half expected it to be a fashion statement.

The prince had no idea it was keeping him alive. And how could it be keeping him alive and killing him?

Loki's unspoken question was answered by a voice through the crack.

"The particles in the palladium are decaying, and they're leaking into my bloodstream. Wearing the Iron Man suit accelerates the process. I was wondering if you had any idea of a solution, or another element that could work."

Mr. Yinsen put on his glasses and shook his head slowly and sadly.

"I'm sorry Tony, but there's nothing on the table that could help you. There are other elements that work like palladium, but they are even more radioactive. My only suggestion is to try combinations of different ones."

Loki's mind was racing. Although he didn't know the specifics on the terms the two in the classroom used, it was obvious what was happening. Tony was dying from the thing in his chest (which somehow kept him alive), and Mr. Yinsen was not an ordinary teacher.

As Tony put his shirt back on and prepared to leave, Loki considered fleeing the hallway and pretending that he never heard anything, but denial wouldn't make the problem go away. Besides, he still had a message to deliver.

Tony opened the door and saw Loki right away, but before he could confront him, Loki cut him off.

"Natasha got shot."

"Is she dead?"

"No."

"Any permanent damage?" Tony didn't sound concerned, just neutral.

"Not that I am aware of. And before you ask, I heard everything."

That got a reaction out of Tony, albeit only a slight widening of the eyes.

"Don't tell the team." He shifted a bit. "Actually, I have something to ask about."

Loki straightened. "Go ahead."

"I was wondering if your magic could help me. I've seen you use it in ways that science would never be able to explain, and it occurred to me that it could do something that science can't."

Loki's gaze was far away for a moment as he tried to think of something. Finally, he just shrugged sadly.

"On my time on Midgard I have learned something: science and magic are one and the same. Humans are beginning to break the barrier which used to be impenetrable, faster than we Asgardians are. You guys may even surpass us one day.'

"However," Loki continued after a pause, "I cannot help you. Even if I was a talented healer, capable enough to purge your blood, you would still contaminate yourself again with the device in your chest. I do not know why you have it buried within your chest, but I know that you cannot live without it."

Something seemed to deflate in Tony. It was hope, Loki realized. He grabbed Tony's arm.

"Have faith. There is always hope, for all of us, no matter what. If you give me some blood, I could send it to Asgard. The healers there could find something to clean up your blood to buy you some time. Also, tell Bruce. He could assist you in whatever you think of."

Tony smiled. It was obviously forced.

"Thank you, Loki."

…

"Sorry kids," the nurse said in a monotone voice, "only one visitor at a time."

The team was at a SHIELD-controlled hospital in New York. After being rescued from her botched mission, Natasha was transported from a helicopter back to the states. She was currently bored out of her mind, and the other Avengers knew it.

But the stupid SHEILD nurse wouldn't let them all through.

Clint was currently sitting with her, and the other Avengers were waiting their turn.

Most of them brought gifts. Steve smiled at his homemade card he made, Bruce was fending off Thor from his plate of cookies, and Tony fiddled with a pair of bracelets and a belt. Clint had fiddled with something in his pocket before he was allowed to enter the hospital room.

The second the clock in the waiting room ticked to the allotted visiting time, Clint got up and calmly walked down the hall, ignoring his instinct to rush down with any regard to anyone else. He knew exactly which room held his best friend.

The first thing he said to her was, "What did he look like?"

Natasha replied in a bored tone, "He was about your height, with long hair, goggles, and a plastic face mask that resembled a bug's face. His left arm was shining in a weird way. He obviously had no remorse, because he shot right through me." Her bored tone dropped to a whisper. "He was obviously prepared. We didn't stand a chance."

"Who knew about the op?"

"Fury, of course. Coulson and his team prepped me for it."

Clint took a breath and released it with a sigh. "I'm glad you're okay, Natasha."

The red-head stretched her feet under the blankets. "Tell that to the nurses. They say I'm going to be in here for another week and I'll have to 'take it easy' for the next month."

Clint grinned as he pulled up a rolling stool and sat down in it. "Well, you do have a hole in your side."

Natasha groaned in annoyance. "Not for the first time. And it's not like there's anything too vital."

"Except your digestive system."

Natasha rolled her eyes as Clint fished in his pocket, the tone in the room suddenly somber.

"I'm really glad you weren't killed, Nat." He gave her the item in his pocket.

Natasha smiled and put on the silver arrow necklace. "So am I."

…

A week later, after her first day back in school, Natasha was happily playing in the training room when she heard Loki enter.

"Check these out Loki," she giggled in childish glee, "Tony made them for me. They're called Widow's Sting. One point of contact with these and a grown man..."

She trailed off when she turned around and saw Loki's worried body language. "What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Thor? He did not attend school today, and I have not seen him since this morning."

A seed of worry appeared in Natasha's stomach. "Did you ask JARVIS?"

The seed bloomed when JARVIS replied, "Mr. Odinson left the house this morning, and has not returned since."

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**I seriously did not see that coming, and I'm the author. I won't take too long updating, I think. **


	4. Searching

"Why have you withheld this information, _machine_?" Loki made the insult clear in his voice.

JARVIS had always been a little more life-like than strictly necessary, and his defensive response was no different. "No one required the information. Did you ask Jane and Darcy?"

Loki plopped down heavily on the nearest bench and ran his fingers through his gelled hair. "Of course I did. They have not seen or heard from him all day. JARVIS, call his cell phone again."

"Of course, Mr. Odinson." Loki's worried scowl deepened a fraction when he heard the king's name. "Unfortunately, I am receiving no answer. Would you like to trace the location of the phone?"

Loki wearily nodded as a dark screen lit up, the word 'TRACING' on a map. Natasha followed him to the screen and nervously stared at it.

"Trace complete. The location is a dumpster near Wall Street."

"Why would Thor throw his phone away near Wall Street?" Loki muttered.

But Natasha's eyes widened, all traces of excitement replaced by adrenalin and a little fear.

"JARVIS, call the Avengers to the meeting room. Thor's been kidnapped."

…

Steve cleared his throat and began to speak. "Thor was last seen early this morning by Loki. Loki said that they were about to leave when Thor turned around to get his phone. Thor said not to wait for him, so Loki went to school. JARVIS, did Thor succeed in retrieving his phone?"

"Security cameras report that he did indeed," the AI said over the speakers. "I cannot detect any interference. My cameras also report that he drove out with his motorcycle and without his hammer. His behavior seems normal, and nothing seems amiss."

Steve sighed. "I hate to say it, but it looks JARVIS can't help us right now. I think we have to go to SHIELD for help."

Tony, Loki, and Steve all began talking at once, until Steve shouted, "Quiet!"

Reluctantly, Tony and Loki shut up, although the latter had a snarl on his face. The young prince detested SHIELD with a passion after what they had done to him after being freed from the mind-control.

"I know neither of you guys like SHIELD, but they're the only place that might have footage of Thor's route. And don't just hack them, Tony. We-"

Natasha suddenly cried out in pain. "My side! Ah! I don't think I can move!"

Clint looked concerned for a second, but then rolled his eyes. "SHIELD's not going to get mad at you for failing your mission."

Natasha's whole demeanor changed as she glared at Clint, and without warning, attempted to punch him in the face. "Thanks for blowing my cover, jerk!"

"Woah!" Steve shouted. "Calm down. Natasha, we don't all have to go. You could have just asked to stay here, and we wouldn't have judged you. Tony, Loki, and I will go."

Tony opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Steve cut him off. "Yes, you have to go. No one here knows technology like you do. And it wouldn't hurt to hear information straight from the horse's mouth, Loki."

Normally, Loki would have smiled at the idea that Steve gave him, but he was too stressed out. "Actually Steve, I will be getting information from a different horse. I cannot believe that I didn't think of this earlier."

…

"Heimdall!" Loki shouted on the rooftop patio, "Open the bifrost!"

The gatekeeper obliged, and soon he was standing in the observatory, facing a blank-faced Heimdall. Loki followed suit and changed his face into a blank mask, free of any concern.

"Gatekeeper, I order you to tell me the location of Thor."

Heimdall's gaze began to look far away.

"Well?" Heimdall never took more than an instant to find his quarry.

The gatekeeper's head fell slightly. His voice was a hoarse whisper.

"I am sorry my liege, but I cannot see him."

Loki's mask evaporated instantly into fury. "My brother is missing, most likely kidnapped, and you cannot find him?" His voice was dripping with anger. "I should have you flogged for this. The great, omnipresent Heimdall cannot see his own prince, who he has sworn to protect!" Loki calmed a small bit. "You should thank Odin that he would spare you from that punishment. Besides, there is a small chance you may glimpse him. If that is the case, notify me immediately. Now, bring me back to Midgard."

Heimdall opened the bifrost again, and soon Loki was back on the roof of Stark Tower.

…

When Loki arrived at the training room, Natasha was once again using her new weapons on the training dummies, but when she turned around to face him, she was no longer filled with childish glee.

"Well? Did you find out anything?"

"You would guess that an omnipresent god would know where Thor was," Loki sighed in disgust as he drew his knife and began half-halfheartedly stabbing a dummy.

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "He doesn't? Why not?"

"If I knew-"

"You're right." She paused for a second. "Do you wanna spar?"

Loki looked up from the dummy. "Why not?" He stuck his knife in the body of the mannequin and dropped into a fighting position. Natasha did as well.

Loki was the first to strike, with an arm jab. Natasha easily dodged it and aimed a kick at Loki's exposed chest, but Loki pushed her leg aside with his other arm, almost unbalancing Natasha. She dropped into a crouch and whipped her leg like at Loki's ankles, catching his unexpectedly. He fell with a grunt.

Natasha stood over him. "You need to use your legs a bit more. Also, you don't seem to be too foc-"

Quick as a snake, Loki hooked her ankle in his and threw her to the ground. With a flash of frustration of being beaten, he jumped on her chest and took a hold of her throat. Natasha didn't try to stop him, just widened her eyes a bit.

"Maybe sparring today wan't the best idea."

The flash of anger faded, and Loki released his loose grip on her throat and rolled off of her. "Perhaps."

"Maybe later." Meaning after Thor was found.

"Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Odinson: Mr. Stark and Mr. Rogers have returned and are heading to the meeting room. I recommend you join them."

…

Security footage was paused on the screen when Natasha and Loki entered the meeting room. It showed Thor on his motorcycle. Bruce, Clint, Steve, and Tony were already sitting at a table, so Tony unceremoniously pressed play as the two sat down.

Thor was waiting at the front of the line of cars at a stoplight. The streets were clogged with businessmen and businesswomen trying to go to work for the day. Right as the light turned green, a hand flashed out and threw a device in the street, right in front of Thor's wheel. The blonde capsized, and he went skidding across the asphalt, ripping his clothes to rags. Luckily, he was wearing his helmet, so when he hit his head against the curb, it broke instead of Thor's head.

A crowd gathered around the teenager's prone form, but parted to make room for a man in an unassuming suit with his head down. The man crouched over Thor, and pulled something out from his coat pocket. Unseen by the crowd, the man did something on Thor's exposed face with the thing he pulled from the pocket. Thor's body relaxed, and the man fished Thor's phone from his pocket.

The video sped up, and slowed down after ten minutes had elapsed. A crew of people dressed as medical employees put his body on a stretcher. The ambulance sped off, and the video ended.

Loki kept staring at the screen, waiting for another video or an explanation to appear. After thirty seconds, Loki whipped his head to Tony.

"Well? Who was the man who took Thor's phone? Where did the ambulance go?"

Tony sighed. "We don't know."

Loki bared his teeth in annoyance. "I thought Fury and SHIELD saw all. Why not this?"

"This was only filmed because it's a busy intersection on the way to school. The man hid his face from the cameras the entire time, and hospitals aren't regulated by SHIELD. We have no idea where he could be."

**Wow. This chapter was a pain to write, with the fight scene and exposition for next chapter. I hope it wasn't too boring. Next chapter we will see exactly what is happening to Thor.**

**As usual, thanks for reading!**


	5. Expiriment

** I've been meaning to write this chapter for weeks, and never go around to it. Warning: laboratory abuse? (I don't know what to call it)**

The specimen was still out cold when it was brought before the scientists by four men in standard hospital gear. Dr. Felicia looked up from the tablet in her hand as the door opened. The subject was secured to a hospital gunnery with standard restraints. Dr. Felicia checked the tablet in her hand, then turned to face her team of scientists.

"Okay, according to this video, the subject can summon a war hammer at will during consciousness. Although it may be useful for later tests, our primary concern is keeping the subject drugged until we can find a way to prevent this from happening. Ideas?"

The scientists started typing on their tablets, until one raised his hand like a kindergartener at his first day of school. Dr. Felicia gestured to him, and he began speaking in a fast, calculating tone.

"Perhaps the problem isn't necessarily summoning the hammer, but preventing the subject from using it. If we can restrain its hands in a locked fist position for long enough, it will develop trigger-finger, making it unable to pick up anything, including any weapons."

"How could we do that?" Dr. Felicia shot back in the same tone.

The scientists continued typing on their tablets furiously, not looking up until one of the disguised men standing next to the subject cleared his throat.

"We are very glad that you guys are so eager, but we need our payment now."

Dr. Felicia barely looked up. "Dana, make sure the man gets payed."

An unassuming woman in a lab coat put down her tablet and escorted the men out, leaving the subject alone on the gunnery.

"Fred, hook it up to brainwave monitors. Make sure he stays unconscious."

A man nodded and wheeled the gunnery into another room.

Another scientist called out just as the subject was wheeled out. "Dr. Felicia? If we coated the subject's hand with an insulating material and coated it in rubber, it would restrict finger movement enough to suit our purposes."

Dr. Felicia gave a quick smile. "Excellent! I'll make sure the other restricting measures are in place. David, you go help prep the subject. The rest of you, find suitable materials for this and begin preparing them. I'll check on you in one hour."

…

Thor's first emotion when he woke up was curiosity. One moment, he was laying in a Midgardian street, dazed, and the next he was curled up in an odd position, with only short trousers on. He tried to call Mjolnir, but there was no response from the slightly sentient hammer.

The curiosity was quickly replaced the the beginning of panic when he tried to stand up, only to realize he couldn't: he was stuck in a cage the size of a shipping crate. He looked down and found his hands covered in an odd black substance. Thor tried to flex his fingers, but they didn't move at all. Desperately, Thor tried to wedge his left hand between the the right and his thigh. The instant he pulled his left hand, the bars of the cage heated up to an unbearable temperature.

He cried out as the hot metal bars singed his flesh, and instinctively shot forward. The heat faded, but the pain remained. Thor gritted his teeth and tried again, pulling with all of his might. The heat came back, but this time he was expecting it. He pulled with all of his might three times, before he collapsed in pain, fists still stuck in the same position.

The heat faded, but Thor remained curled up in the too-small cage. He noticed a slight pressure on his head, like a crown. Curious, he bent his head down to feel what it was, but the bars heated up again, making the him forget any curiosity.

Defeated and fearful, the prince simply crouched in the cage and bided his time.

…

The next morning began with a jolt of heat on Thor's feet.

He jerked awake and automatically shifted into a make-shift fighting stance. He had tried to stay awake and observe his surroundings, but the only thing he could gather was that he was in a metal cage with metal floors in a pure white room without door or windows. Except for Thor's shifting, there was not a sound in the room. Eventually, the lights had gone completely dark. He had been trained to stay alert and awake in darkness, but there was always some starlight to help, never such an oppressive blank. The dark was no different from closed eyelids, so he fell asleep.

The bright florescent lights of the ceiling were a shock after the forced rest the time before (he had no idea whether or not it was actually nighttime or not), so it took a couple of seconds for his eyes to readjust. When they did, he noticed a group of ten adults in lab coats standing expectantly in front of his cage. All of them had a strange mixture of goggles, headsets, and masks on their faces.

Thor slowly crawled out of his cage and looked around. There was still no door to escape into, so he wisely bided his time.

Without any warning, the wall farthest from Thor's cage lifted with a slow, mechanical whir, revealing an identical wall with a white door. One of the scientists opened the door, leading to an almost identical hallway with the same smooth metal floors that were in the cage room.

Thor cautiously entered the hallway and, without even pausing, smacked one of the scientists in the face. The rubber weights were a tad awkward, but they were only slightly different from weighted weapons in Asgard. The scientist went flying into a white wall and went limp. The other scientists backed up in a circle, but otherwise did nothing.

With a small smile, Thor raced to the nearest door, but before he could even reach the doorknob, the floor lit up with a mild heat that aggravated his burns. He staggered, trying to escape the pain, and didn't notice a section of the wall slide out and a pipe hiss out an invisible gas. With a single inhale, Thor's world went dark once more.

…

Thor awoke once more with a jolt of heat, but this time it was on his arm.

He was tied to a strange device with two metal handles and his feet resting on a thin, gripped metal platform on the floor. He looked around, and found himself in another empty room, but this one had reflective walls with speakers embedded.

Thor took an inventory of his body. Besides the new burn on his arm, all of his burn marks were a pale pink instead of the angry red and troubling black they were before. For some reason, the scientists had healed them. There were also various tubes, gels, and devices attached to his arm and torso.

Without warning, the platform Thor was standing on began to move, forcing him to move as well. The speed of the platform steadily increased. Soon, he had to run to stay on it.

"Who are you? Who do you work for? Why-"

Thor's questions were cut off by the heat of the platform, hurting his still-tender feet. He jogged on in silence.

…

Two hours later, the scientists were stumped.

"Normal humans' heart rate would have increased to 150 beats per minute at least, but it barely breaks 100," one stated in awe.

Dr. Felicia looked down at the subject's file on her tablet. "Incredible stamina. Must have been a result of some form of earlier training. The dense muscle must help." She turned on her mic and addressed the computer. "AIANA, keep an eye on the subject while we start on DNA sequencing. Keep increasing the speed. Ping us when he is unable to run more, or if his bpm exceeds 200. Kaelen, prepare hallucinogenic H-36. I want you to test in on the mice one more time. Be sure to scan for any permanent muscle or brain damage, Carl..."

…

Forty-eight hours later, Thor was too tired to go on. Every inch of his body was dripping with sweat, and his breathing was short and ragged. His feet were aching and stinging from the multiple burns, and his legs were shaking. His throat was long dry from the lack of water, and his stomach gnawed angrily, seeking food. Boredom crept at the back of his mind, kept at bay only by the oppressing fog of fatigue.

When Thor's legs finally gave out, another burn pressed against his already singed flesh, but he hardly noticed. As a last ditch effort, he tried to swing his legs out of the way of the merciless conveyer belt, but it was too wide. Eventually, the stings of the burns and the grating friction against his legs was too much, and Thor whited out.

He half expected to be in Valhalla, or Nifleheim (exhaustion wasn't really a death worthy of the golden halls of Valhalla) when he awoke, it was in his cage, still stuck inside the white hell.

As usual, the jolt of simulation that arose Thor to consciousness was a burn, this time on his back. He bit back the urge to wince. A scientist was standing over him, holding a giant device with a sharp, long needle. Thor struggled, but more bursts of heat soon subdued him. The scientist held the tip of the device just over his left wrist, then pressed the button.

A huge amount of pressure shot the needle forward, piercing Thor's skin. The pain was tame compared to what he had endured, and Thor almost raised his eyebrows. The scientist removed the needle after a couple of seconds, and he closed the cage behind him with a clang.

Thor looked down at his wrist. There was hardly even a dot showing where his skin had been pierced, but he wasn't stupid. The scientists had never done something benign...

He was mulling over the possibilities when he heard the door whir and open.

Loki was standing in the doorway.

"Thor!" he cried in pure joy. "I found you!"

Thor's shoulders relaxed in relief. "Loki?"

Loki smiled. "I am so glad to see you. Jane and the rest of the team are waiting outside." He walked up to the cage door, and paused.

In a blink of an eye, Loki's whole demeanor changed. His eyes glowed red, and his skin began to darken until it was a deep cerulean.

"On second thought," he mused, voice deeper than normal, "this door is hard to break. And why would I want to rescue such a sniveling, mewling prince such as yourself?"

All of Thor's relief turned into terror. As a last resort, he tried to use his hand-clubs to break the door, but the cage simply heated up, stopping any resistance.

Loki smirked. "Pathetic. How were you ever worthy?" Out of nowhere, he pulled out Mjolnir and swung it around tauntingly in front of Thor's face. He swiped at it, but the rubber welded to his fists were useless at grabbing.

Without another word, Loki turned around and walked away.

Thor could count the number of times that he cried on one hand. Odin always drilled them to show no weakness, on or off of the battlefield. But the crushing hopelessness and depression that hit him like a tidal wave caught him off guard, and soon the prince was soon dripping tears like a leaky faucet.

About an hour later, his tears were gone, and rationality soon came back into his mind.

"_Loki is unable to wield Mjolnir_." Thor clung to that fact desperately. "_It was not real_."

His mind was temporarily calmed, but worry still clung to his mind.

…

"I'm an idiot," Kaelen cried to no one in particular. "Why did I administer the drug without giving the subject food or water?"

Dr. Felicia watched Kaelen carefully, looking for the slightest sign of regret for his actions.

"The human brain doesn't perform as well without glucose or hydration," he sighed in regret.

The woman gave the smallest smile. Regret was not an option in this operation."Give the subject some sugar water," she ordered. "At least a liter. Add some H-44 to it. If we use the same drug twice in a row, the subject may gain some sort of immunity to it. Interesting for further study, but not for basic mental endurance testing."

Kaelen left the room.

"AISHA," Dr. Felicia requested, "play that brain movement from the beginning. Zoom in on the occipital lobe."

…

About a minute after Thor had finished the water from the bottle the man in the lab coat had given him, the wall from the lab fell down. Queen Frigga stalked through the ruin, eyes blazing.

If Thor had any rational thought, he would have immediately recalled the similarity to Loki's entrance, and would have been suspicious. But he couldn't think, he just felt joy.

"Who dares treat my son this way?" she practically roared.

Like Loki, she stepped up to the cage and knelt down, but this time there wasn't a shift.

"My son," she whispered in horror. "If it were not for Heimdall's omnipresent sight, I never would have found you."

Thor leaned forward in anticipation of freedom, but a movement in the background caught his attention.

"My queen," Odin commanded, "we must go. Asgard needs us."

"Of course." Frigga turned around and followed Odin out of the door, not looking back once.

…

At this point, Thor knew that his encounters were false. The wall that Frigga destroyed was as intact as ever.

The fact didn't stop the memory from playing over and over in his mind, taunting-

Wait.

Heimdall.

"Heimdall!" he bellowed with all of his might. "I need your assistance! Heimdall!"

The only answer he received was a the burning metal against his skin.

…

"How will you administer the last drugs in the sequence?"

AIANA

inquired into Dr. Felicia's headpiece.

Dr. Felicia spoke in an even tone. "Air vapor. The subject will struggle too much any other way."

Kaelen entered the room and looked at the screen. One side had an image of the subject's brain, and the other had a soundless video of the subject's reaction to the first drug.

"Hm. The subject experiences the same emotions as mice and humans, and with the same intensity."

"The base H drug is still the most effective hallucinogenic ever produced. For a psychologist, Dr. Phillip was a great pharmacologist.

"A psychologist developed this?" Kaelen asked in bewilderment.

Dr. Felicia gave an amused smile behind her mask. "He minored in psychology, and worked at SHIELD undercover. When he fell in love with a SHIELD nurse that eventually died, he pretty much blew his cover. Went insane. Pretty ironic."

…

Thor didn't know if he could take it much longer.

The nightmares, or whatever they were, were eating away at his very being. The last one had made him shiver in a ball for an hour after it had faded.

Jane, Tony, and Bruce were in lab coats and the weird masks. And they were the ones experimenting on him.

The one before that, the whole team had attempted to save him, only to be killed on their way out of the building.

Thor knew the visions weren't real when he was left alone without them, but inside them, every moment felt more real than the rest of his life.

Perhaps his 'real life' was just a giant hallucination, and these 'hallucinations' were reality.

Thor hoped not.

There was an unnoticeable shift in Thor's senses, and the wall lifted.

Every drug, there was a new sequence of emotions flooding his senses like a tidal wave: joy, then fear, then hopelessness, joy, then depression, betrayal.

But this one was horror and anguish from the second it began.

The coated humans were pushing a wheeled cart, a gunnery Thor remembered it being called. A large lump was covered by a sheet, which the scientists discarded once they were in the room.

The lump was Loki, restrained and more petrified than Thor had ever seen him.

"Please," he whimpered, "let me go."

The scientists acted like he never spoke, and pulled out a small knife.

When they cut open his stomach, Loki screamed louder than Thor did.

The rest of the hallucination, Thor just watched in soundless horror as the scientists completed their live dissection.

When he regained his senses, all Thor could do was sob. This was the worst one yet. Sorrow and horror coursed through his very being, unlike anything before.

Outside, dark clouds joined the mass above the laboratory.

Lightning flashed.

**I really need to write more high school stuff.**

**After this arc, I won't do any action for a while (hopefully)**

**Seriously, this chapter was really long,and I am sorry for doing that to you guys. I hope it wasn't repetitive or boring.**

**By the way, I added a little bonus chapter to Avenger's High School (the story before this one), and I will probably edit some minor things here and there to improve the story. I'll let you guys know when I start to do that.**

**Honestly though, if I had no morals, and I had access to the equipment Dr. Felicia had, I would do pretty much what they did if I received an alien specimen.**

**On that happy note, review (if you want) and tell me what you guys thought.**

**Hopefully, the next chapter will come sooner than this one did.**


	6. Rescue

"**The next chapter will come sooner ..."**

**Haha. Sorry**

Thor had been missing for fifty two hours

Loki's anger had faded and replaced by ceaseless worry. If Thor could have escaped, Loki figured he would have by now. And Hiemdall's blindness to the situation was as perplexing as it was strange. Loki figured that he could hide himself from the gatekeeper's gaze with magic, but the Midgardians who captured Thor probably had none.

Unless those who captured him were not of Earth...

Thoughts and worries plagued Loki throughout the school day. Teachers berated him for not paying attention, but he just shrugged it off. Homework piled up, but he just took to sharpening his daggers, staring into space, reading his magic books, and training.

During meals, Loki just picked at his food or pushed it around his plate, and not consuming it with the speed that he normally did. Naturally, the team became worried about him, too.

"Uh, Loki?" Bruce asked timidly one night as the Avengers quietly ate Chinese take-out, "have you worked on the physics project at all?"

"No," he replied curtly.

"It's kind of important," Tony stated bluntly. "Your grade depends on it."

"Why should I care about a letter on a sheet of paper?" Loki said as he mixed his chow mein.

"Your concern is unimportant compared-"

"Concern?" he said in a tone that they rarely heard. Clint shifted uncomfortably; it was the voice that Loki had used to address him under the mind control. It was a voice of cold ruthlessness, scarier than any shout or usual threat he used.

"This is beyond concern. This, _my friends_," he sneered mockingly, "is grief. Mjolnir has not left

the weapons rack. Even with his wrists bound, Mjolnir would be at his disposal faster than thought. Even without his hammer, Thor is at least three times as strong as a well-muscled Midgardian and is resistant to bullets. If Thor could escape, he would have by now. If it was a normal kidnapping, we would have heard some sort of ransom call."

The team shifted uncomfortably, reason sinking in and hope decreasing. Even Steve drooped, but picked himself up again.

"We thought you were dead, Loki. We knew we were dead. And you came back. We all died," Steve motioned to all of the people sitting at the table, "and we came back."

"That was with Nemesis's power. She will not do it again. Plenty of warriors have fallen without warning. I suppose our luck just ran out."

There were tears in Loki's eyes.

"Don't give up hope," Steve ordered with absolute authority. "We don't know for sure that he's even dead."

Loki was about to reply, but a monitor on a nearby wall lit up with Fury's face.

"We might have found Thor," Fury stated without any warning.

Loki, Steve, and Tony all started talking at once, until Steve raised his voice.

"Quiet!" He looked at the screen. "More details, if you will."

The screen split, so most of the screen became a video of a thunderstorm above a nondescript warehouse. Fury's face was in the bottom-left corner.

"This thunderstorm began forty-eight hours ago, and has slowly been increasing in size. The wind does not seem to move it, and there shows no signs of shrinking, only growing, despite its relentless downpour. This unusual activity has readings very similar to when Thor created that thunderstorm at the beginning of the year. I'll send you to coordinates and the address, Stark. Consider it an incentive for you not to hack into our systems again."

Fury signed off without any further comment.

"But Fury," Tony taunted to the empty screen, "your techies need to be on their toes."

Everyone ignored him.

Steve, without a word, stood up and walked to conference room. Everyone got up and followed him, food forgotten or already consumed.

JARVIS had already lit up the screens with maps of the location and a a loop of the video sample that Fury played when the Avengers settled. Loki, although attentive, made a point of not looking at the seat where Thor usually sat.

"We'll leave the tower in half an hour in a self-driven van," Steve began. "I'll pantomime drive, Clint gets shotgun. Tony-"

"He's not going," Bruce interrupted suddenly.

Tony sighed, "Bruce, now's not the time to-"

"Actually Tony," Steve interrupted, "I was thinking you and Bruce could stay home. This mission requires stealth, something that you nor Bruce are very good at. You can still be a tech support without being there, right?"

"Who do you take me for, a SHIELD techie? I'll give you a thingamajig. Should help me hack into any systems easier."

"What about me?" Loki had tried his best to appear calm and alert, but emotions were clearly raging inside of him.

Steve took in a deep breath. "Finish your physics project."

"You are keeping me from saving my brother?"

"He might not even be there, Loki. I'm afraid what will happen if we don't find him. Or only find his dead body."

Loki stood up and threw a punch at Steve face in pure fury, but Steve caught it.

"You're staying here," he announced. "That's an order."

Loki sat down again, practically seething.

"Everybody, suit up. Comm units are on the table."

…

Loki dragged himself to his bedroom and plopped onto the bed, shutting the door partially. He went under the covers, not bothering to change his clothes or take off his shoes. Slowly, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep, rolling over so his back faced the crack in the door.

A shimmer of magic, and suddenly there was a copy of himself, sleeping right behind the original Loki's position. The authentic Loki slipped out of the bed and shielded himself from JARVIS and any human's notice with another touch of magic.

Stealthily, Loki crept to the elevator, and pressed the button to Stark's lab.

As expected, the comm unit was lying on the edge of a desk, forgotten. Tony was instead using JARVIS's big speakers to communicate to the team on the mission. Bruce was doing something unknown to an unknown machine, when all of the sudden he got up. Loki, curious, followed him, until it was clear he was headed to a bathroom.

He slipped in right behind Bruce and pulled something out his pocket.

Bruce didn't have time to cry out as invisible hands covered his mouth and injected a sedative into his neck. The teenager went limp before even his eyes could turn green.

"Thank you for the Christmas present, Natasha," Loki whispered to empty air.

The air shimmered, and an image of Bruce walked out of the bathroom.

Loki peeked his head into the lab where Tony was typing away furiously at his screen.

"Hey Tony!" Loki called in a perfect imitation of Bruce's voice, "I'm going out for a ride. Need some fresh air. Are you sure you don't need me?"

Tony nodded. It was clear he wasn't really paying attention.

Loki entered the garage and turned on Bruce's motorcycle with the retinal scanner. After driving two blocks past the tower, he canceled the spell and put on the comm unit he swiped.

He wasn't just going to let the people who kidnapped his brother get away unscathed.

…

The ride over to the battlefield was often, if not always, silent. Especially on this ride, Steve could feel the tension. After going over the plan (west window entry, the three splitting up and finding Thor, disabling, not killing, any who got in their way, unless it was necessary), the car was filled only with the sound of shifting.

Steve cast his mind back to his short spat with Loki. He felt bad that he had to be left behind while they rescued his own brother. Steve remembered when Colonel Phillips had benched him from looking for Bucky.

He remembered, with a little jolt, how he had completely disregarded orders and found Bucky anyway.

Loki, he also remembered, was very good at hand-to-hand combat, and never gave up. There was no way he would have given up after one caught punch. Steve turned on the comm unit.

"What's up, Cap?" Tony asked over the radio. "You're not at the location yet."

"Loki's going to try and escape."

"JARVIS, is that true?"

"Mr. Odinson is currently sleeping," The AI reported.

"Are you sure? Show me a heat scan."

Meanwhile, Clint and Natasha were cautiously listening to Steve, knowing better than to inquire further. Instead, they turned on comm units of their own.

"Damn it!" Tony cursed. "He's used an illusion. Bruce!"

After a mutter of commands and shouts now inaudible to the radio, Tony cursed loudly.

"Give my curses to Natasha," Tony spat.

"Received," she replied coolly. "Why?"

"Because it's your Christmas gift that's in Bruce's bloodstream right now, as Loki pranced out of there. Listen."

Loki's voice entered the comm unit, obviously a recording.

"_Thank you for the Christmas present, Natasha_."

Natasha muttered a curse.

"Well, does this change the plan?" Clint asked.

"If you find Loki, subdue him and hide him out of harm's way," Steve ordered. "Otherwise, stick to the plan."

…

"Damn," Tony whistled as the team slipped through the window, "these guys are classy. They have an AI of their own. Almost as smart as JARVIS. It's named AIANA, fyi. She's being disabled as we speak."

"Disable faster," Steve whispered, looking down at the glowing red metal floor. "The ground beneath us is heating up. Any longer and it's going to melt our shoes."

"It'll take at least another two minutes. Cap, I think you need to step off of the heat plate."

"But it's the whole floor!" he protested.

"Then leave the building. Or climb into the vents like two spies are certainly doing."

Steve shook his head as he awkwardly climbed out of the window.

…

"The ground beneath us is heating up. Any longer and it's going to melt our shoes." Loki was about to slip through the back door when he heard Steve's whispered report.

So the whole floor was heated? So was Muspelheim, and his boots could handle that realm just fine without melting. Without hesitation, Loki opened the door and ran through.

The first door on his right opened, revealing a woman in a white lab coat, carrying a cup of coffee.

The woman dropped the coffee, the brown liquid splashing all over the metal floor and Loki's pants, but he didn't notice. The boy flung the woman back inside the room and pressed her against the wall, dagger at her throat

"Who do you work for?" he hissed, "And where is Thor?"

The woman didn't answer, a mask of cool neutrality plastered on his face.

Without hesitation, Loki flicked his wrist, and the blade plunged into the woman's throat, sending blood spurting everywhere.

"Dana," someone behind him whispered in horror.

Loki dropped the body of the dying woman and turned around, where a man in an identical labcoat was standing with another shattered coffee mug on the ground. The room had several machines used for cooking that Loki recognized from the tower.

"Tell me where Thor is," Loki stated in a flat tone.

The man was too flabbergasted to address his question.

"H-how did you find us? AIANA! What did you do to AIANA? Who are you?"

He continued to titter, but Loki held out his dagger, and the scientist shut up.

"Now," Loki began slowly, "where is Thor?"

"Th-the subject is in the room on the opposite end of this hall. It's a giant room. You can't miss it."

Loki slit the man's throat and carried on his way.

…

"Intruders," AIANA reported. Dr. Felicia's image of the subject's predicted muscular structure was replace by a video of a blood and coffee stained teenager sprinting down the hallway, not even reacting to the white-hot floor beneath his feet.

"Why didn't you report this before?" the scientist barked at the computer.

"Another AI has disabled my firewalls and crippling my communications."

"Goddamn it! Who?"  
"Tracing now, ma'am."

Before the computer could respond, the door slammed open, revealing the teenager on the cameras.

"Where is my brother? Who are you?" he asked carefully.

He was carrying a dagger stained with fresh blood.

The boy's sudden appearance startled Dr. Felicia, but she knew better than to show it in her face.

"Your brother is the subject, I presume? Are you like him?"

Before the boy could answer the question, Dr. Felicia pressed a button, and a screen switched to a view of Thor, crouching an a metal cage.

He was a mess. His long, golden hair was greasy and matted, his hands covered by rubber balls, his eyes blank. The worst part, however, were the burns; horrible, screaming red, everywhere on his skin.

As predicted, the sight stunned the teenager into silence and paralysis.

"I know you'll kill me whether or not I do as you ask; the blood on your knife is proof enough." Dr. Felicia's languid tone grew sharpened as she looked at the mysterious child. "Before I die, however, know this: you will probably save the subject and escape, but the things it experienced here will haunt it forever. You may carry its body out and heal those scars, but it will never really leave this room. Those scars will never really heal."

"My brother is not an 'it,'" the knife-wielder growled.

The last thing Dr. Felicia experienced was the feeling of choking on her own lifeblood.

…

It had taken Loki a couple of minutes of confused typing and hallway running until he noticed the white-hot floor fade slightly, and the sound of locks clicking open.

Loki had been faintly aware of his teammates' voices in the device in his ear, and figured they heard his voice, but he hadn't focused on them until that moment.

"AIANA is dead," Tony reported. "Captain, you may enter the building now. JARVIS, give me live video feed from the main room. Find Loki."

"Where's Thor?" Clint asked. "I think that's more important right now."

"Good point. JARVIS, find Thor."

The AI's voice spoke into the radio. "He appears to be in a hidden room, guarded by a fake wall. Deactivating now."

"Good boy." Tony's joke didn't match his solemn voice.

"Where is this hidden room?" Natasha asked.

"The end of the hallway left of the control room, which is the floor directly below you, Widow."

Loki turned off his comm as he ran to the hallway that Tony mentioned.

The assistance of his teammates was no longer required.

As reported, the white wall at the end of the hallway began winding up with a mechanical whir, revealing what was inside.

**I'm sorry I had to cut this short, but it was already pretty long, and I haven't posted in two weeks. E3 was pretty distracting (I'm a gamer), and I was busy with other stuff for a while.**

**I'm not going to promise a quick update, but with summer here, they should be more frequent.**


	7. Scars

"Cheers. Another nightmare."

Loki couldn't help but kneel in front of Thor's cage in stunned silence. The video that the scientist showed him was disturbing, but the burns and mistreatment were even more disturbing in person.

Thor rolled his eyes. "My mind is really unoriginal. Loki, kneeling in front of my cage, but doing nothing. Although I have never been able to speak in these before."

Loki spoke slowly, as one would address a scared, cornered animal. "I am no nightmare, brother. I am here to free you."

Thor scoffed. "Typical."

Loki, not knowing what else to do, opened the cage. That's when he noticed Thor's hands. They weren't visible at all, just two clumps of discolored rubber with arms sticking out of them.

"What did they do to you?" he asked in horror.

Thor didn't answer, he just stared into space.

"This is fixable." Loki managed to smile weakly. "I can take you to Asgard, and Eir will fix you right up. We have seen her do more with worse things." He stood up and held out a hand, which Thor didn't take. "Do you want to stay here, Thor?"

Thor folded his arms into his lap. "I would rather stay here than entertain another vision."

"I am not a vision!" Loki snapped. They were running out of time before the other Avengers found them."And if I were, do you think stalling would keep you from experiencing the horrible consequences of these visions? Humor me."

This time, Thor put one of his mauled hands in Loki's, and Loki pulled him upright. Thor's legs, however, were not ready to support his weight, and he promptly collapsed on his brother.

"Put your arm around my shoulder," Loki coaxed gently. Thor obeyed, but his dead weight prevented Loki from taking a single step forward.

He was racking his brain, searching for a solution, when Steve entered the white room, shield first.

Loki drew his knife and narrowed his eyes threateningly, daring Steve to attack. Steve was doing no such thing, only staring in horror at Thor's burned body.

"Come to stop me?" Loki asked in a cold, even tone.

"You found Thor. I'll help you carry him. But next time I say 'stay at the tower,' stay at the tower."

"You will carry his legs," Loki responded as he grabbed Thor's armpits. Steve followed suit by grabbing Thor's bare feet, taking care not to make contact with any burned skin.

Thor didn't move or speak. His silence was echoed by Steve and Loki as they carried him out of the room of horrors.

They had almost made it to Loki's entrance when they heard the sound of boots on the metal floor, headed towards them. Loki made eye contact with Steve, and flicked his eyes to the direction of the sound.

_You take care of it._

Steve gave a barely perceptible nod, and set Thor's legs on the floor. He drew his shield and crept away.

Thor stirred, and managed to stand up, legs trembling. Loki, without a word, put his arm around his shoulder as Thor did the same. Slowly, the two limped toward the free outdoors.

And almost made it without conflict.

They had just passed the last door before the exit when a scientist opened the door and walked toward them, gun in hand.

"Drop the subject."

Loki slowly laid Thor down, despite his now heavy panicked breathing, and slowly drew his hands up.

The scientist relaxed a bit.

Quick as a flash, Loki dropped his right hand and drew a dagger.

The scientist pulled the trigger, and a bullet flew at Loki's face. It bounced off. Before the scientist could even show surprise, his gun was yanked out of his hands by a thrown dagger. Loki grabbed the scientist by the collar and dragged him outside, throwing him on the sun-baked dirt. He pinned the scientist down and held up yet another dagger.

"Your systems are down, your boss slain," Loki said as he lightly caressed the scientist's face with the sharp edge of the blade, leaving tiny cuts. The scientist winced slightly. "Also, you have tormented my brother. There is no one to help you, and I have no limits on what I will do to you. Now: who do you work for?"

"A-a HYDRA organization," the scientist squeaked.

A memory of a Midgardian foe flickered in the back of Loki's mind. "With despicable scientists much like the ones here?"

"Yeah."

Loki slit the scientist's throat and went back inside to retrieve his brother. He had all the information he needed.

Thor was curled up, eyes staring blankly ahead. When he saw Loki, he relaxed and almost smiled. Loki smiled and helped him up again, dragging him outside.

Neither of them looked at the dead scientist.

"I thought you had left me, like you did so many times before."

Loki held Thor's wan cheek. "I would never leave you, brother."

Without warning or any other words, the two were whisked away by the bifrost.

The trip was as fast and dizzying as it usually was, making Thor fall straight on the observatory floor when they arrived at Asgard.

Loki helped Thor up. When Thor was on his shaky feet again, Loki ordered, "Fetch Eir! And get someone help to me carry Thor to the healing room."

Heimdall obliged, and soon two guards came, carrying the Thunderer to the healing room. Right before Loki turned to follow them, he glared at the gatekeeper.

"Your vision is clouding, Oh Great Gatekeeper. Perhaps you need a rest."

Heimdall, wisely, did not answer.

…

Thor had panicked when the healers tried to knock him out, even when Odin and Frigga themselves arrived and tried to coax him to drink something. In the end, Loki crept up on him and pressed a certain pressure point until Thor collapsed. The healers then properly put him under and placed him on a soul forge.

Hours later, Thor's burns had been healed completely, leaving not even scars. His marred hands had taken most of the time, with Eir and her team scraping off all of the rubber with hot knives. When that was done, they still had to uncurl his fingers, which were completely locked into fists. In the end, the healers had to inject his hands with varieties of potions and chemicals into each joint.

Thor was still sleeping peacefully when the king and queen re-entered the room. Loki had refused to leave his brother alone, in case he woke up and panicked again.

"Who did this to my son?" Odin asked Loki in a quiet, dangerous whisper.

"A Midgardian transportation unit crashed into him and exploded-"

The harsh slap on Loki's cheek cut off the lie mid-sentence. Frigga looked at her husband in shock. Physical discipline wasn't used in the royal household.

"Lying to your king is punishable by death, I remind you," Odin barked. It was only in certain cases, but Loki knew better than to point it out. "Those burns were not one of an accident, they were intentional."

"What really happened?" Frigga pleaded.

Loki sighed and looked away. "A group of Midgardians found out who he was and decided he would be interesting as a test subject."

Odin stood up, eye blazing with fury. Frigga reached out and grasped Thor's hand.

"Fear not, _father._" Loki drew his dagger, still sticky with the scientists' blood. "They were all taken care of. Without mercy."

At that moment, Eir entered the room. After doing the general acknowledgment to the royals, she turned to Loki.

"Why was your brother so unruly? He has never before shown any fear of healers before now. What happened that would make you bring him all the way here, to Asgard?"

"He was kidnapped and experimented on by a group of... curious Midgardians," Loki explained.

"Do you know why his hands were restrained in such an unusual manner?"

Thor stirred.

"Why not ask Thor himself?" Loki whispered.

The golden prince opened his eyes and blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Slowly, he sat up, yanking his hand away from his mother's, and looking down at them. He flexed them, clearly pleased to be able to move them. He did not, however, smile.

Frigga, delight on her face, offered Thor a cup of water. He shrunk away from it.

"Why will you not drink, my son?" Frigga asked.

Thor seemed to see Eir, Loki, and Odin for the first time, crowded around him. He flinched.

Eir shooed the concerned family away, and looked Thor in the eyes. "What happened?" she gently inquired. "Were you bitten by anything?* Why will you not drink?"

Thor shrank a little, barely noticeable. "I do not wish to have any more visions."

"Hallucinogenics," Loki muttered, finally figuring it out. He whispered in Eir's ear, "Something was put into his water that made him have horrible, fearful visions."

"How do you know this?" Eir whispered back.

Loki subconsciously rubbed the side of his neck. "I have had my own experiences with them."

Odin narrowed his eye. "What are you two whispering about?"

Eir ignored her king. "Why were you burned?"

Thor stayed silent.

"Please tell me," Eir coaxed. "I need to know so I can make you feel better."

Thor continued to say nothing.

"At least drink something," Frigga pleaded.

"I will not drug myself again, vision," Thor spat.

"Very well," Eir smiled tensely. "We will not make you do anything. In fact, we will leave you alone."

Loki started to protest, but the healer cut him off. "Alone. Come, Loki, to the hall."

The black-haired prince obliged, realizing what she was trying to do.

As soon as the door was shut, Eir started explaining her diagnose in a quiet voice, talking quickly. Her face was grim.

"He has developed a serious mistrust for everyone. Furthermore, he will not willingly drink, which may weaken him. His mind and soul are unbalanced as well, and it may take a long time to recover."

"What can we do?" Odin's eye was narrowed.

"For now, little. Go back to the throne. Rule Asgard. Once he recovers, it would be foolish to send him back to Midgard."

…

After Eir finished her diagnose, Loki went to his room.

It had been unused since he and Thor had first been banished to Midgard, all that time ago. It wasn't that long, but it seemed that eons had passed since then.

Not that Loki actually knew what an eon felt like.

He stared at the collection of various trophies on his desk: various weapons, monster teeth, claws, and horns, a lock of Amora's hair** (he meant to burn her gift, but it was buried under piles of other things, only the tips were visible, so he never remembered to do it), and a small cylinder. Pensively, he picked up the cylinder and turned it over in his hands.

Thinking.

Thinking.

Finally, something occurred to him. On an impulse, he stuck the cylinder in a space where only he could access it, and grabbed a bag of emergency coins.

Loki ran back to Eir, who was just outside Thor's door.

"Eir!" he said. "New orders from the Allfather." He dropped his voice to a solemn tone and checked to make sure no one was listening. "Erase Thor's memory of this past week."

*Hydrophobia (fear of water) is common of rabies victims

**For those of you who might not know, females giving males locks of their hair in Viking times symbolized great respect or friendship, or something along those lines. Pre-event, Loki trusted Amora and told her a lot of things. After her betrayal, he didn't try to make new friends, and only really trusted Thor. I thought I should mention this, but there's no way Loki would tell anybody any of this, so...

**Peanut butter crackers! This arc is taking a looooooong time. (Kind of funny how the characters swear but I use food names instead)**

**I could have finished this arc up this chapter, but I wanted to finish up this chapter quickly. I'm going to be gone for the next week and won't have time to write. That means the next chapter will most likely come out two weeks from now, considering these chapters now take a minimum of a week to write!**

**I'm so sorry the update rate is getting so slow. For those of you who have stuck with this story: thanks a lot.**

**(Does the cookie incentive actually work to get reviews?)**

**Cookies for reviewers! (::)**

**(IDK man, those looks like boobs. Just a bit.)**


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